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Students with Disabilities

It is the intent of Porterville College that all of its graduates demonstrate mastery of the competencies required by Title V of the California Code of Regulations and successfully complete all of the specific courses required for graduation.

Porterville College recognizes that a disability may prevent a student from demonstrating required competencies in math, reading and/or writing, or from successfully completing all of the specific course requirements necessary for graduation in the same manner as would a student without a disability. The college also recognizes the need to accommodate a student with a documented disability to the greatest extent possible without compromising either the student’s chosen course of study or the integrity of any student’s degree. The college further recognizes that most disabilities that might preclude a student from this “same manner” demonstration of competency or from successfully completing a course can be overcome by providing a combination of appropriate accommodations.

Therefore, for most students with documented disabilities, the primary method would be an attempt to complete the course utilizing recommended accommodations such as tutorial, auxiliary aids, and/or test accommodations. For some students, such accommodations will still be insufficient to enable him/her to successfully complete the course. For these students, a second method of accommodation would involve a course substitution. Only in the most extreme cases would a third alternative, a course waiver, be considered. The Petitions Committee, only under the conditions described below, would individually consider the second and/or third approach.

A course substitution is permissible only if the course in question is peripheral to the student’s course of study and the student has no reasonable chance of successfully completing the course even with all of the recommended accommodations. A waiver will be considered only when there is evidence that the student has met the above requirement for substitution, and there are no viable alternatives. (“Academic requirements that the district can demonstrate are essential to the program of instruction being pursued by the student, or directly related to licensing requirements, will be regarded as discriminatory.” – 34 C.F.R. 104.44(a))

If a student with a disability has determined that the recommended accommodations are insufficient to enable him/her to successfully complete the course, or if the student can show that his/her disability is of such magnitude that any attempt at completing the course would be futile, that student may submit a petition to the chair of the Petitions Committee, who will arrange for a meeting with the Petitions Committee to determine whether a course substitution or, in the last resort, a course waiver is appropriate.

The Petitions Committee shall be comprised of the Porterville College Registrar, Director of DRC, and a faculty representative from the respective division. The committee shall recommend the proper course of action to the appropriate administrator for approval.

NOTE: Porterville College students will be made aware that a subsequent educational institution may not recognize a substitution or waiver granted by Porterville College.